Mary Jackson, Nina Liu, Steven Rosenberg recognized

Upstairs Downstairs

Redux Contemporary Art Center has taken on an unprecedented challenge these last few weeks: They’re building a city. Well, it’s actually just a mural of a city, but even that’s no easy task.

Bob Snead and Seth Gadsden (a.k.a. “the planning committee”) are the brains behind the center’s fifth mural, and they collected information from the Redux community — staff, artists, and board members — on what they would want in their ideal city. The result is an elaborate undergound system pumping power, water, sewage, and even porn to and from the surface, which includes urban and industrial areas, graveyards, farmlands, suburbs, and a “hippie town,” according to Redux Director Karen Ann Myers.

A team of artists have been working from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. for days hoping to finish by Sat. Oct. 16. Guests are invited to visit the new city all day Saturday, and if you’re feeling ambitious before then, they’re looking for a few good helpers to assist in knocking out the final bits of painting — no experience required. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday.